Steel shape for use in the construction of buildings



D. l. YOUMANS STEEL SHAPE FOR USE IN THE July 27, 1948.

CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS Filed May 7, 1946 Fig.5

Fig.2

INVENTOR.

Donna 1/ oumans. I

Patented July 27, 1948 STEEL SHAPE FOR USE IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF BUILDINGS Donna I. Youmans, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 7, 1946, Serial No. 667,946

3 Claims. (01. 72109) The object of the invention is to provide a steel shape adapted to serve as the basic element or skeleton of concrete buildings and the like. The article of the invention and its uses will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a face view of a fragment of a web or sheet made up of a plurality of zig-zag bars or strips hereinafter described;

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the overlapping parts of a pair of said bars on line A--A of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view" of one of said bars.

The shape or sheet of the present invention is made up of a plurality of bars or strips 5, of steel, or other suitable material, shaped in cross section as illustrated in the end view, Figure 3. These bars are bent, as shown in Figure 1 to form a plurality of wide Vs. The apexes 6 of the Vs are flattened so that each apex lies in parallelism with a like flattened apex portion of an adjacent bar and are brought into overlapping relation and united to form a web or sheet having a multiplicity of diamond-shaped openings 1 therethrough. The invention is not limited to any specific way of uniting the apexes of the bars or strips. This may be done by welding or it may be done rapidly and effectively in a so-called metal knitting machine where tongues B struck from one bar are passed through slits 9 formed in the adjacent bar and crimped into tight engagement with an overturned lip ll] of the latter.

By referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the central concavo-convex portion a of the apex of a bar nests snugly into the corresponding portion of a companion bar in such manner as to cause the bars themselves to efficiently resist tendency of the Whole web to easily bend and to relieve the tongues 8 of the whole load of uniting the several bars. The nesting of the companion longitudinally extending concave-convex ribs 5a leaves the flat flanges 5b lying snugly together face to face, throughout the length of the complete structure.

The composite webs or sheets made up as described, of the bars 5, may be used-in a number of different ways. They may be used as central reinforcing webs in concrete walls in the usual 2 way or they may be used on the outside of said concrete walls and there form combined form and reinforcing elements. When so used they save the expense of form lumber. By using two of the Webs suitably spaced apart and filling the space between them with concrete the webs themselves left in place in the concrete serve both as form and reinforcing elements. By using a coarse aggregate the cement may be held until it hardens and thereafter a coating of cement plaster may,

if desired, be put over the whole. If this is done the steel shape is completely concealed and embedded in the concrete.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. A metallic reinforcing shape for concrete buildings comprising a plurality of elongated bars which in transverse cross section present flat upper and lower edge flanges and a longitudinally extending concavo-convex portion, each of said bars being bent transversely of the direction of its length to form a plurality of V shaped portions, the apexes of adjacent bars being flattened to provide portions upon adjacent bars which lie in parallel with each other, said portions being brought together with their concavo-convex portions internested and with their upper and lower edges in the same plane and means for uniting the contacting apex portions of the several bars.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said uniting means comprises an integral tongue struck from one of said bars and passing through an opening formed in the other of said bars.

3. A metallic reinforcing shape for concrete buildings comprising a plurality of like bars all of which lie in the same plane and each of which, in transverse cross section, presents flat terminal flanges and an intermediate concavo-convex rib, said ribs extending throughout the length of said bars, said bars being bent along their length transversely of the longest lateral dimensions thereof to form a plurality of V shaped. portions the apexes of which lie in contact with like V shaped portions of adjacent bars, the confronting and abutting faces of the ribs and flanges lying in close contact with each other throughout the height of said bars and means integral with one of said contacting bars and passing through the other of said bars at each of the points of contact of the said V shaped portions for tying said bars together.

DONNA I. YOUMANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Forsyth May 8, 1928 Weichold May 6, 1930* O akes Aug. 27, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1911 Great Britain 1929 

